Short Synopsis
In Strange Tools, a philosopher makes the case for thinking of works of art as tools for investigating ourselves.

Full Synopsis
In Strange Tools: Art and Human Nature, philosopher and cognitive scientist Alva Noë raises a number of profound questions: What is art? Why do we value art as we do? What does art reveal about our nature? Drawing on philosophy, art history, and cognitive science, and making provocative use of examples from all three of these fields, Noë offers new answers to such questions. He also shows why recent efforts to frame questions about art in terms of neuroscience and evolutionary biology alone have been and will continue to be unsuccessful.

"Perkins is especially effective at conveying demanding texts, for which the skill lies not in expressiveness but in steady pacing, precise enunciation, and a sure instinct for the value of every word." ---AudioFile

"A searching and learned response to vexing, long-debated questions." ---Kirkus

"Noë offers a unique analysis on the role of art, and also philosophy, in our lives." ---Library Journal

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner